Orthopedic boot or shoe



Feb. `26, 1935. J, MAY 1,9925672 ORTHOPEDIC BOOT OR SHOE Filed Nov. 4. y1932 NlrED srATEs 1,992,672- @ETHOPEDHC BOOT @R SHOE' Joseph May, Frankort-on-thed Application November l,

11.932, Seriali No. 641,237

Germany November -11, i931 s o '(ci. sisasi Excessive bodily weight or muscular weakness, continual standing at an occupation, among other things, lead to deformationand misplacement of the feet if the foot-gear is not adapted as regards its form and construction to give sufficient support against attening or misplacement or position of pronation of the feet. o

The shape and constructionof the shoe must be considered to be two important complementary factors which have the duty in common of caring for the correct positioning and support of the foot. The construction and stability of the shoe must aord suiiicient resistance when thel root; owing to 'deformation and misplacement, treads .or forces the shoe into a shape, which vis physiologically incorrect.

Hand made and machine made boots and shoes whichpossess arrangements for this purpose have been known for years. These arrangements consist of a forwardly prolonged heel cap and an insole which'is in part fulled (bent up) on the cutside. These arrangements, which stiien the shoe in the region of the tarsus and make it diicult for theioot to spread, have not given good results, because they gradually become forced and deformed more and more into the same incorrect position by the continual pressure of the deformed and misplaced foot. The deformation occurs still more` quickly when the leather of the cap and insole becomes soft and pliable owing to heat and moisture from the feet, and to moisture penetrating from the outside.

In contradistinction to the known devices, the invention provides a wide, stretched and unyielding tarsal supporting' band which braces the rear cap and the insole, and which from the head of the 1st metatarsal bone passes round the back of the heel and -is continued on the other side of the foot to about as far as the head of the 5th metatarsal bone. This stretched and unyielding band is worked into the shoe or boot between the heel cap and the upper leather in such a manner that the middle o f its width coincides with that of the heel. From the heel it is directed on the outer side downwards to the head of the 1st metatarsal bone and on the inner side downwards to about as far as the head of the 5th metatarsal bone. It is tightly stretched or extended in its longitudinal direction by means o! tacks, and at itsplaces of attachment, which extend as far as the arched middle portion of the shoe, it is securely connected at or below the insole, with' this and the upper. The supporting band can also be secured by means oi the seam in the heel cap between the cap and the upper leather or at the sides of the heel cap. This tarsal supporting band` can be of any desired width at the places where it is connected or attached to the sole according as the foot is to be supported by the shoe v to a greater or less extent. It encloses the tarsus 5 and the metatarsus in the longitudinal or walking direction from the sides and the sole without hin dering the development of the'foot. In particular,

it supports the part of the foot which takes the weight, so that this cannot spread out either l0 centrally or laterally, and it prevents rotation of the heel bone and, therefore, bent positions of the foot.

With a foot of normal development it serves anequally useful purpose. From the rst to the last 15 phase ofoot development, the tarsus and metatarsusl are supported in their natural position and a dislocation of the bones and muscles if the laces are loose is prevented.

In addition to thel tarsal supporting band a fur- 20 v ther metatarsal supporting band of the same or a similar unyielding material may be arranged in the shoe. I This band'beginning behind the head of the metatarsus, that is to say leaving this free, supports or encloses the metatarsus in 'a trans- 25 verse direction. This metatarsal supporting band can be worked into the shoe between the upper leather and the lining or also below the lining. It runs in such a way as to act as af means for preventing the 4spreading of the'foot when the 30 shoe is done up, noY matter Whether it is done up by means of laces, buttons, snap fasteners or buckles. It thus prevents the usual spreading of the upper in the arch near the vrear of the-ball of the foot and treading over of the upper on the 35 lateral sides of the shoe, in case of an abduced position of the foot.

'Ihe tarsal and metatarsal supporting bands can also be connected together and worked into the upper and stretched by being tacked or sewn 40 in the longitudinal direction of the metatarsal supporting band. 'I'he supporting bands can be so arranged that'they can be tacked or sewn together with the upper or each separately, ac-

cording to the extensibility of the upper leather. 45

The continuous pressure of the misplaced and deformed foot which leads to treading over and spreading of the upper leather, in particular to uneven treading of the heel cap, is taken by the highly stretched, extended-and unyielding bands, 50 which no. longer allow the .tarsus, the heel bone and the 1st and th'metatarsal bones to spread to any considerable extent beyond their proper limits, and they thereby prevent spreading and 'treading over of the upper leather at theplaces 55 where this is liable to occur owing to the excessive weight.

Owing to the tension in every phase of movement ofthe foot, a pull is exerted in the longitudinal direction, namely from the place of attachment of the tarsal supporting band towards the rear cap ,and vice versa, and the normal development of the foot is thereby facilitated.

As is known, the sole curvature of the worn shoe alters under the action of a flat foot. The heel wears away at the back, the arch ilattens and the front tread of the sole is displaced further towards the back and into the arch. The

shoe thus comes into the fiat foot position. The foot, therefore, since it finds no support in the inside, on the outside and from below by the tarsal supporting band, it can give way in the longitudinal direction neither towards the inside nor towards the outside and it compels the foot to tread straightly and to form a, straight and natural support when walking. It thus prevents twisting' and misplacement of the foot, weak ankles, weak arches and' distortion of the foot.

The metatarsal supporting band supports the metatarsus in the transverse direction. It does nor allow the shoe to spread out beyond the intended width, as it supports the muscles of the 1st and 5th metatarsal bones if they vbecome too weak.

Since the metatarsal supporting band begins behind the heads of the 1st and 5th metatarsal bones, the heads of these or the so-called ball of the big toeand the little -toe remain free from pressure. Owing to the th metatarsal bone being supported together with the remaining metatarsal bones, in addition to-eliminating the cause ing band worked into it (in order to make this.

visible the upper leather is partly cut away).

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line A-B of Figure 1, and Y Figure 3 shows a shoe with a tarsal and a metatarsal supporting band worked into it (in order to"` make the direction of these bands visible the upper leather is again partly cut away).

Referring to the drawing, ais the tarsal supporting band and b the metatarsal supporting band, both of which consist of stretched unyielding material. 'I'hey can be separate from one another and lie one above the other, or they may be connected together as is shown in Figure 2.

It is important that these bands take the course described and are attached to the parts of the insole which have been described in detail in order to eifect a tensioning of the shoe which does not yield and prevents deformation.

1. A boot or shoe having a tarsal, .non-adjustable supporting band of stretched unyielding material flxedly attached at both ends to the insole and of which the middle attachment placev lies behind the ball or head of the first metatarsal bone and which runs from there obliquely upwards, along the first metatarsal bone, the flrst sphenoid bone, the scaphoid bone, the astrag'alus, and the os calcis and partly surrounds and supports these, and is continued round the os calcis and from there, sloping down laterally at the os calcis and cuboid bone, along the ball of the fifth metatarsal bone, again partly surrounding and supporting this, and finally ends at the other place of attachment to the inside behind the ball or head of the fifth metatarsal bone.

2. Boot or shoe in accordance with claim 1, in which the attachment portions of the tarsal sup- I porting band are carried at the central and latofal places of attachment further below the insole, to

about the middle portion of the insole.

and lateral part of the insole or below the inside at this place and supports the metatarsal bone and prevents spreading thereof.

4. Boot or shoe in accordance with' claim l, in-

cluding a second band of unyielding material, which band while it leaves the ball or head of the shoe and is fastened at its ends to the central and lateral part of the insole or below the inside at this place and supports the metatarsal bone and prevents spreading thereof, the tarsal supporting band and the metatarsal supporting band being connected together at the places Where they cross, so that the free ends of .the latter are directly connected at this place over their full width to the former.

JOSEPH MAY.

-the metatarsal bone free, runs transversely across 

